Agile is a term that’s often used in the business world, but your church is a type of business. This means applying the agile concept is vital for helping your business continue to grow and thrive.
If you’re not already an agile leader, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to grow your church and connect with members, especially new ones.
Adopting a more agile leadership style isn’t difficult. It just means adjusting your mindset to better understand the changes around you.
What Is An Agile Leader
It’s hard to become an agile leader when you don’t really know what it means. Rohan Dredge provides one of the best descriptions. While that post dives in-depth, agile leadership in layman’s terms means adapting to changes and problems to find the best possible solution for future growth. Agile leaders are more responsible for their own actions. They seek new ways of doing things that work for the betterment of not just themselves, but the entire church both now and in the future.
Basically, you need to be more flexible and have a more open mind. It’ll take practice, but the work is well worth it.
Change Is Inevitable
One of the hardest parts of becoming an agile leader is accepting that change is inevitable. Letting go of tradition isn’t easy. If you’re not ready to change, your church may become just a memory. Remember that it’s up to church leaders to make the changes necessary to bring the church into a new generation.
For instance, some churches still balk at the thought of a website, social media presence and online giving. Yet, churches who implement technology are experiencing growth and better engagement. It’s only a matter of time before the churches who refuse to be agile will see their numbers start to dwindle.
New Members Are Different
If you’re not bringing in younger members, your church is doomed. You can’t just appeal to an older, more traditional generation. While you should still meet their needs, an agile leader knows that the church has to make changes to attract younger members. It’s about finding the right compromises that engage all generations and bringing them together to worship.
Without being open-minded to the needs of newer generations, it’s impossible to keep your church growing. Of course, you also have to figure out the best approach for keeping all ages on the same page about any major changes.
Be Prepared For Any Problems
No church is perfect and you’ll encounter a wide variety of problems. An agile leader seeks to understand and find innovative solutions to problems. They also know that it’s impossible to please everyone. However, it’s all about adapting to the situation and keeping an open mind versus making a biased decision.
Better Understand The Unchurched
Seedbed compares an agile church to the agile IT industry and it’s an eye-opening comparison. With community and culture constantly changing, an agile leader has to adapt to a changing environment. The culture of church members 50 years ago is drastically different than today’s youth.
In the IT industry, an agile approach to IT development has led to innovation thanks to considering the needs of the people and responding to changes versus following the same plan over and over again. Agile church leaders can use this same approach to better understand and reach the unchurched. Understanding their needs, doubts and culture is vital to helping them find their way to your church’s community.
Create More Effective Teams
Agile leaders know the importance of guiding others without micromanaging. They lead to teach and help others learn to adapt. As a result, they tend to create far more effective teams. Their leadership style makes them more approachable and this leads to more volunteers. Overall, it’s a strategy that helps the church do more and have a more engaged community.
Looking for ways to become a more agile leader today? Start by ensuring your church has an online presence to better connect with all ages.
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